


Cry, Havoc, and Let Slip the Dogs of War

by ThePoetess



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Hope, Les Miserables - Freeform, Love, Loveloss, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-15
Updated: 2017-07-15
Packaged: 2018-12-02 12:29:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11509452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePoetess/pseuds/ThePoetess
Summary: If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? - the Merchant of Venice (Act III, Scene I)A story about Eponine and Enjolras.





	Cry, Havoc, and Let Slip the Dogs of War

Hearts beat, drum like in the cold June air. They stand like statues at barricades and watch and wait.

They stand there, The Miserables, The Wretched, The Miserable Ones, The Poor Ones, The Wretched Poor, The Victims and The Dispossessed, with fear fresh in the air, rosettes at their breasts, ready to die if need be. Enjolras gives a smile, strange to smile at such a time as this, strange that this should be the end of a new beginning. He forces powder into his rifle and looks towards the others, men, women, children, alike, will they all lay down their lives for freedom? Do they love France that much? His eyes are wet with pride. 

"Do I care if I should die now she goes across the sea? Life without Cosette means nothing at all... Would you weep, Cosette, should Marius fall. Will you weep, Cosette, for me?" Marius Pontmercy weeps bitter tears and sits silently down at an empty table in the ABC Cafe. Eponine watchs through her disguise as Enjolras and the others build the barricades as high as they can. She feels fear rise in her throat and wishes for a strong drink to comfort her and calm her nerves. She looks up to find Enjolras watching her not a foot away. She turns, trying to hide her face from him. God, he can't see her here. Eponine turns and looks at Enjolras who looks at her with unknowing in his eyes. Already a man, he still seemed a child. His flaring nostrils, his downcast eyes, gave to his implacable Greek profiles that expression of wrath and chastity which from the point of view of the ancient world belonged to justice. His eyes, filled with interior sight, gave off a kind of stifled fire. Suddenly he raised his head, his fair hair fell back like that of the angel on his somber chariot of stars, it was the mane of a startled lion with a flaming halo. Eponine turns away as she hears a familiar voice, she listens silently "'I admire Enjolras,' says Bossuet. 'His impassive boldness astonishes me. He lives alone, which makes him perhaps a little sad. Enjolras suffers for his greatness, which binds him to celibacy. The rest of us more or less all have mistresses who make us mad, that is to say brave. When we're as amorous as a tiger, the least we can do is to fight like a lion. It's one way of avenging ourselves for the tricks that Mesdames our grisettes play us. Roland gets himself killed to spite Angelica; all our heroism comes from our women. A man without a woman is a pistol without a hammer; it's the woman who makes the man go off. Well, Enjolras has no woman. He's not in love, yet he finds a way to be intrepid. it is an incredible thing that a man can be as cold as ice and as bold as fire.'" Eponine looks from the man to Enjolras and silently agrees. This is a man, a leader, men will follow and die for, a man she would follow and die for. They leave the barricades and make their rowdy way towards the cafe where Marius still sits. Ounce there Eponine slides quickly into the shadows and watches Marius at the table, Enjolras at the counter, he walks to the tired Marius and says slowly and with concern " Marius, rest." The men all speak, Feuilly saying in a singsong tone as he pours a glass of wine "Drink with me To days gone by Sing with me The songs we knew" Prouvaire raises a glass "Here's to pretty girls Who went to our heads" Joly laughs teasingly "Here's to witty girls Who went to our beds" The defenders settle down for the night. "Drink with me To days gone by Sing with me" "Here's to pretty girls Who went to our heads" Joly cackling as he drinks "Here's to witty girls Who went to our beds" "All singing "Here's to them And here's to you!" Grantaire joyfully in a loud voice as he slaps the table "Drink with me To days gone by Can it be You fear to die? Will the world remember you When you fall? Could it be your death Means nothing at all? Is your life just one more lie? Men and Women Drink with me (Drink with me) To days (To days) Gone by (Gone by) To the life (To the life) That used (That used) To be (To be) Women At the shrine of friendship Never say die Men Let the wine of friendship Never run dry" All at once they sing and Eponine watches the comradeship about her. These are all people ready and willing to die for France and Freedom. They finish the last of the song with clinking glasses. "Here's to you And here's To me..." Marius sings hopelessly "Do I care if I should die Now she goes across the sea? Life without Cosette Means nothing at all Would you weep, Cosette, Should Marius fall? Will you weep, Cosette, For me?" Marius settles down to sleep and Eponine watches him softly crying. Will he ever love her? No, he cannot. Enjolras watches the young man who seems so familiar and wonders who he could be.

Marius smiles as he begins to speak, one arm raised to the sky, he stands on the barricades and gives his speech with the fervor of Napoleon.  
"Let us be just, my friends! What a splendid destiny for a nation to be the Empire of such an Emperor, when that nation is France and when it adds its own genius to the genius of that man! [...] To cause constellations of victories to flash forth at each instant from the zenith of the centuries, to make the French Empire a pendant to the Roman Empire, to be the great nation and to give birth to the grand army, to make its legions fly forth over all the earth, as a mountain sends out its eagles on all sides to conquer, to dominate, to strike with lightning, to be in Europe a sort of nation gilded through glory, to sound athwart the centuries a trumpet-blast of Titans, to conquer the world twice, by conquest and by dazzling, that is sublime; and what greater thing is there?" An unimpressed Combeferre scowls and states snarkily as he crosses his arms over his chest "Être libre. To be free." Enjolras adds snarkily as he stands against the wall of a nearby house "And to listen no more to your idolized depiction of Napoleon Boneparte." Grantaire cheers and sips from a goblet. Eponine smiles, watches from another world as men, women, and children, reluctantly throw furniture down into the waiting arms of the students to build up the barricade. Eponine watches Enjolras with envy, he is free, happy even, concerned only with the revolution. Why can't she be as free as he is? She looks up to find him a few feet away and staring at her with recognition dawning on his angelic face, he mouthes her name and walks over to her, stands beside her and asks quietly "Why are you in such a disguise Eponine?" She looks down at her booted feet then looks slowly into his face, awkwardly and with shame "I want to fight." He smiles "You can fight without that poor disguise Ponine. You do know this is as much your fight as it is mine?" She nods, watches Marius step down from the barricade wall. Her heart breaks. Enjolras follows her gaze and gives a small sigh "Ponine, leave it, he does not love you, does not see you in the way you may wish, I can only see a useless cause Eponine. Leave it." She walks back towards the city's sprawling gray buildings and tears fall "I will fight, I will, and if I die," Enjolras follows her and takes her arm as he catches up to her, she pulls away, but turns and says with anger "Why do you even care what happens to me? Why? I'm not part of your group, I'm not -" he kisses her.


End file.
